Bought these from Woot a while ago. They are amazing!

It keeps my Android phone (a real battery hog) running with GPS active and screen on all the time (as in navigation mode) for a few hours, and the phone battery actually gains charge while at it!

I used two of these on a trip overseas, where I turned off the actual "phone" part in my smartphone to avoid roaming charges, but two of these packs helped me get through the day with a few hours of GPS navigation, catching random WI-FI's and getting in touch with friends and family (including VoIP calls) and even playing some Angry Birds in between...

Then of course a 12 hour overseas flight was not a problem either, reading e-books, listening to my mp3's and again, playing those pesky Angry Birds, among other things that a phone can do in "airplane mode".

In short - if you travel, where you can find yourself away from a power source for a while - it's a must have item!

redspecial wrote:Hey! Dude! You're confusing me. For a moment I thought I was on FT! ;)

HA! Busted......

;)

Unless I can use these things to charge my computer, no thanks....

Good deal. I'm in for a pair.

Exactly how many USB/phone charging devices have I bought from Woot already and never used?

Meh, who cares, I'm in.

Amazon listing. Whoops (or should I say Woots!) I left off the link from last post. And note that there are several similar Duracell products, The Woot! offer is for the 1800mAh version that is also myGrid compatible
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Mygrid-Usb-Charger/dp/B004AK154Q

protegeaa wrote:Exactly how many USB/phone charging devices have I bought from Woot already and never used?

Meh, who cares, I'm in.

What else are you going to spend that pesky money on? Food? Pfft! Food is so 2001.

According to this one, http://www.google.com/products/catalog?pq=iphone+battery+spec&hl=en&sugexp=pfwl&cp=18&gs_id=p&xhr=t&q=iphone+battery+capacity&tok=lJhnGd8FHhn4C4K6nXiKYg&client=firefox-a&hs=ZHD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1366&bih=682&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=10409618539247443880&sa=X&ei=ByoNT7T8OeSWiQLMucGEBA&sqi=2&ved=0CIsBEPMCMAU, iphone battery capacity is 1150mAh, the item is 1800mAh, so it's suffice to say that these 2 batteries will fully charged an iphone 3 times, theoretically.

In practical, I'd say one battery will be able fully charge your iphone from 0% to 100%.

how long does this hold charge?

I use the smaller xpal by energizer and always found that it easily discharges after only a couple days of charge..

Theoretically, these would charge an iPad2, no?

Yes?

There's math involved here, and let's just say that doesn't bode well for any of us if I have to use actual math to figure something out...

kamnet wrote:These remind me of the four (yes, FOUR) Black & Decker portable USB chargers I bought from Woot in... wow, April 2008. I just found them all in a box last week. Never used them once. *shrugs*

Is your point they are of no use or they're of no use to you? Or you forgot you had them LOL.

I got this same 2-pack for my new Samsung (android) phone. Only used a few times so far, but they are just short of a full charge - i.e., if I charge my phone before it gets below 25%, it charges it back to 100%. Worked very well for me so far.

Does this come with one USB cord per battery to charge it up? was thinking of splitting the cost with a friend.

LEM- wrote:Bought these from Woot a while ago. They are amazing!

It keeps my Android phone (a real battery hog) running with GPS active and screen on all the time (as in navigation mode) for a few hours, and the phone battery actually gains charge while at it!

I used two of these on a trip overseas, where I turned off the actual "phone" part in my smartphone to avoid roaming charges, but two of these packs helped me get through the day with a few hours of GPS navigation, catching random WI-FI's and getting in touch with friends and family (including VoIP calls) and even playing some Angry Birds in between...

Then of course a 12 hour overseas flight was not a problem either, reading e-books, listening to my mp3's and again, playing those pesky Angry Birds, among other things that a phone can do in "airplane mode".

In short - if you travel, where you can find yourself away from a power source for a while - it's a must have item!

Thank you! You summed it, I'll buy 3 of them after I make a cash deposit tomorrow. Whooooops, 6 total.

I'm really thinking of getting a pair just for the tiny little USB-to-microUSB cable. The battery stuff is a bonus!

Okay, well, yeah, it's an expensive pair of little cables that way, but what the heck.

A little technical info:

They're rather more bulky and complex than the earlier non-Grid batteries. A lot of the room in the case is used up by the contact mechanism and all the extra electronics involved. Note that there are three rare-earth magnets inside which I imagine are intended to stick to the Grid pad.

Of course, they charge just fine from a USB plug. You don't need the grid, so all that extra space and electronics are wasted on most of us.

In comparison to the non-GRID packs, these have a micro-USB plug on them where the older ones had a mini-USB. They come with a flimsy adapter if you still have mini-USB devices.

Don't get your hopes up about just replacing the cable with your own cable, though. USB uses a resistor across the data pins to signal a high-amp charger. In these packs, the signal resistor is in the CABLE instead of the pack! So, if you try to use a regular cable, your phone or battery pack may not charge or may only trickle-charge.

On the flip side, if you try to use the charger cable as a data cable, that also causes problems because the data pins don't even go through. Only the power pins are hooked up!

In short, these cables are a cancer on your already-confusing cable collection. Yes, it looks like a USB cable... but its not.

Lastly, I think I got six the last time these were around. Of the six, one failed when the microusb plug peeled off the circuit board.

These really aren't a good design, and you'd probably be much happier with the non-GRID models. Still, I bought a lot of them, since they're very useful in powering LEDs in props and costumes. If nothing else, there's a 1800mAh 3.7v LiPoly battery inside.

I too bought these last time. One, fully charged, recharged my iPhone and my Zune - yes, I have both - with room to spare.
But I'm really thinking they'll make good battery packs for Burning Man lights!

obob wrote:I'm really thinking of getting a pair just for the tiny little USB-to-microUSB cable. The battery stuff is a bonus!

Okay, well, yeah, it's an expensive pair of little cables that way, but what the heck.

The little cables aren't USB cables!! The data pins don't go through, and there's a resistor across the pins on the micro-usb side. Hit up monoprice instead!

Phyrric wrote:Does this come with one USB cord per battery to charge it up? was thinking of splitting the cost with a friend.

I'm too nice, I went back and read where YOU should have.

In the box:

■(2) Duracell myGrid USB Chargers
■(2) Micro-USB Cables
■(2) Mini-USB Adapters
■User Instructions

How long do these hold their charge? I was thinking about getting these for travel and it would be nice to not have to charge them during the trip.

I want to make absolutely certain this charger and cable/adapters are "OTG" (On the Go) compatible. Someone mentioned Android phones earlier but mine (all?) have this wacky OTG feature that several chargers I have tried don't work with. Anyone? Anyone?

You get 1 Charge on a cell. I've used for HTC Incredible and iPhone 4S

lockerfamily wrote:Theoretically, these would charge an iPad2, no?

Yes?

There's math involved here, and let's just say that doesn't bode well for any of us if I have to use actual math to figure something out...

I tried charging my ipad2 and it didn't charge

skywarrior3 wrote:How long do these hold their charge? I was thinking about getting these for travel and it would be nice to not have to charge them during the trip.

I bought the similar 2000mAh xpal power (now owned by Energizer) from woot about 3 years ago. They hold their charge for me for literally months if I don't use them. Hopefully these will too because I just ordered some.

I may not use them often, but when I do they are a lifesaver. And at least the xpal/energizer variety hold the charge long enough you just throw them in the travel bag and store them until you need them.

kamnet wrote:These remind me of the four (yes, FOUR) Black & Decker portable USB chargers I bought from Woot in... wow, April 2008. I just found them all in a box last week. Never used them once. *shrugs*

You just saved yourself alot of grief, those didn't work and were so outdated that B&D WOULD NOT take them back, or service them. GRRRRRRRR!

In for one. My brand new Galaxy Nexus gets pretty good battery life, but with me going from the Chicago suburbs to Downtown daily for school these will be a life saver.

These are gonna sell out.

Can we get clarification on whether or not these will charge via USB Wall adapters, or require a computer's USB port to charge? I want them, but I'm not super interested in having more crap plugged into my computer...I'd like to plug them in and leave them on my nightstand next to my phone so I can grab and go in the morning.

mdwyerfoo wrote:

Don't get your hopes up about just replacing the cable with your own cable, though. USB uses a resistor across the data pins to signal a high-amp charger. In these packs, the signal resistor is in the CABLE instead of the pack! So, if you try to use a regular cable, your phone or battery pack may not charge or may only trickle-charge.

Electrics and physics are not my cup of tea, so I am not even sure what you are saying here from technical standpoint. But what I know is what I've seen. I've used mine with cheap cables I bought from monoprice.com exclusively. I don't think I even tried the ones that come with them. Never a problem. Charges just fine, and keeps my phone running. See my post above for my overseas experience. All of that was done with 3rd party cables. It just works.

I'm guessing that micro-to-mini USB adapter can only be used for power, right? Not for data? Has anyone tried it? That'd be kinda neat.

I bought some of these a couple of months ago in a woot-off.

Frankly, they're excellent. They'll fully charge my Samsung Nexus S, my cameras, all kinds of stuff. I leave one in my business computer bag.

I've charged them from wall-wart USB chargers, from PC USB ports, and they work fine.

An excellent item to have.

Sigh, in for 1 (or two?)

lockerfamily wrote:Theoretically, these would charge an iPad2, no?

Yes?

There's math involved here, and let's just say that doesn't bode well for any of us if I have to use actual math to figure something out...

This question was discussed on sellout.woot at the prior sale (when I bought mine, by the way). The conclusion that was more or less agreed upon (after some math was involved) that it will not effectively CHARGE an iPad, but it will trickle-charge it to some degree if it's turned off, or it will keep it running a bit longer if it's on and being used (that is battery level won't go up, but it will be draining slower while the pack is connected).

The reason, however, is now what is claimed above, but simple fact that iPad requires more current than this battery can provide for fully functional charge, but it does provide some relief to an iPad user on the go.

These will not charge an iPad or iPad 2. Both models of iPad require at least a 1000ma output preferably 2100ma, while these batteries only are capable of 500ma. It may charge an iPad 2, but very slowly, and only if the iPad is turned off.

Just to be sure, I thought I could use my existing cables that I plug my phones into my laptop for charging. It sounds like a few folks are saying that those cables won't plug into these. ... Does anyone know which is correct? (it could be also that its 2:00 am and I really need to go back to sleep.)

I'm in for 2 (so 4 total). I can see being out and about needing to charge a phone or my Kindle or another small device. One of my friends mentioned she got a similar thing for like $50 a few months ago.

Oh, and if the power ever goes out, this adds to our readiness factor!

majorshopper wrote:Just to be sure, I thought I could use my existing cables that I plug my phones into my laptop for charging. It sounds like a few folks are saying that those cables won't plug into these. ... Does anyone know which is correct? (it could be also that its 2:00 am and I really need to go back to sleep.)

The output port on these is just a regular, big, rectangular USB port. Anything that fits in the USB port on your computer will fit here, too. There's a little extra magic in the little cable they provide that may make some things charge faster, but for the most part, anything USB works.

As someone said earlier, they work great for powering the Woot-Off Lights, for instance.

The only thing you'll have trouble with are some devices (iPads?) that expect too much power. If your computer's USB port won't charge it, this won't either.

I bought the Black & Decker battery packs years ago and never really loved them - they were too big to carry around. I definitely like the portability factor with these. Glad to hear that so many Wooters are happy with theirs - in for one!

I bought 6 of these, here are my experiences:

Sold one for 20$ to a "friend".

Gave 2 of them away as gifts.

I accidentally dropped one and left it in the rain next to my car, took it back in the house the next day, let it dry and it works.

The cables suck... they are too short; careful not to bend them too much as the microusb side is just a soldered plug with a plastic clip on sheath which is fragile which might break apart and does little to keep the cable from twisting and eventually sever the internal wires. Dab a little super glue on the sides and base of the cable/plug to secure it.

Do not charge your phone in your pocket or bag with the supplied cable unless you do the above suggestion or just use a two foot micro usb cable wherever you go.

One is still in the package... minus the cable, which is being used for another charger. The micro to mini usb adapter is useless, I threw them away or have dissapeared. Why can't duracell throw in a mini to micro usb adapter instead?! I have a million of those cables lying around... also attach a lanyard to them or have it integrated to the battery somehow to not lose them. Duracell, are you listening?

USB powered bendy lights will turn off automatically after 5 minutes, it seems this battery has undervoltage sensor.

Plug a usb humping dog to it and you have fun in your pocket wherever you go.

Squirrel!

Porgot Something: if anyone is wondering, the cables cannot be used for data transfer, only for charging. That can be good if you don't want to piss off a paranoid company (especially call centers) by setting off an Unauthorized Device alert on work computers and for places where you'd rather not crawl under a desk and visit Narnia or Dust Bunny Land to plug and unplug a charger.

Got two sets the last time around and ended up being my best woot ever. When charging them for first time (any usb phone charger works) the micro usb outlet pulled out of one. Called the 800 number in the literature spent less than ten minutes on the phone and five days later got a check for 76.00$. Since then the other three have done wonders at keeping my Droid X2 going. Took a roadtrip over xmas two full days either way streaming NPR and music 8 hours a day and several hours each day catching up email and reading news without having to charge phone or batteries. Even in every day use much easier to use and recharge these instead of being tied to a cord.